


home is behind, the world ahead

by Angyie



Category: Xenoblade Chronicles 2 (Video Game)
Genre: F/M, Gen, Zeke is a sad man Prove Me Wrong, and not just for the fact that he's a meme lord, anyway let's all appreciate zeke for the depth of his character, he loves his home and would do everything for them and i would do anything for him, pre-game, slight spoilers for the Tantal arc of the storyline, you can read it as both gen or romantic if you like zeke/pandy or not
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-02
Updated: 2018-09-02
Packaged: 2019-07-05 21:37:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,020
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15872214
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Angyie/pseuds/Angyie
Summary: Zeke both loved and hated his home, but above all he wished for a few blossoms to cover his dear land.When Zeke and Pandoria leave Tantal, the outside world shows them how life is more than snow and ice.based on word prompts - 'blossom' and 'treasure'





	home is behind, the world ahead

**Author's Note:**

> Just a self indulgent little thing I did for a warm up for bigger fic projects but I ended up liking it so here it is. Based on word prompts from my good friend green_piggy, 'blossom' and 'treasure'. (title from lord of the rings because I'm a nerd and Pippin's song kills me everytime)
> 
> I'd recommend listening to Theosoir's night theme because it mostly helped with the mood~  
> also if you haven't finished the Tantal arc in the game I wouldn't recommend reading yet, it's not exactly spoilers but you'd understand stuff better if you know what Tantal is all about.

It was only thanks to books and the few paintings piled up against a wall between crates, in some humid storage room in the palace, that Zeke had had an idea of what grass looked like.

He remembered, when he was barely five or so, watching from his own ivory tower, the children of the city trying to reach what was beneath the snow. Perhaps there was something to find, a treasure, something else than this endless and cold white covering the land. They dug and dug as Zeke watched, until their gloved fingers became numb and painful.

There was nothing, just more snow, again and again. It would fall from the roof of Genbu, a slow rain washing down on an agonizing people, a merciless coat of death and misery. It would pile up all around them until it would fall from the upper structures of Tantal, down there in the valley of the monsters.

Forbidden to leave the palace and talk with his own people, Zeke remembered his childhood, remembered watching and wondering if the neverending fields of Gormott and the burning sand of Mor Ardain were simply myths, a pretty picture in a book painted by someone who longed for a certain freedom out of this dying kingdom.

The first time he snuck out, in his haste to avoid the maids and guards, he had forgotten his shoes. Barefooted in the snow, barely six years old, he tried and dug and dug and there was nothing.

He had felt numb, crouching before the gate of Theosoir, until a hand touched his shoulder. He was ready to run from a guard, but an old lady stood before him, shrouded in rags. Her skin was covered in blue patches that certainly looked older than a few years. Frostbite. She smiled, akin to the warm smile his beloved late mother used to give him, only to him, with stars in her eyes. “It isn’t wise to go outside with so few layers, my prince.”

Zeke gasped. “How do you know who I am?”

The lady half laughed, half coughed. “My my, it isn’t because His Majesty doesn’t want to let you go outside to meet with the common folk that we do not know who you are.” She reached and pulled out something from beneath her robes that had seen better days. By force, she put a pair of shoes in Zeke’s hands. “Here, at least protect your feet before it’s too late.”

The child shook his head in distress, the string of his eyepatch almost falling out of place. “I can’t, what about your own feet?”

She smiled again. “You’re very kind, my prince. How about you sit with me over there, I’ll give you a bit of my coat to warm you up,” she said as she pointed to a low wall that was thankfully not covered in snow.

Zeke did not really remember much of the conversation, but he did remember the kindness the old lady spoke to him with, the sugary scent of her dirty clothes, and her throaty laugh.

“This isn’t fair. Why aren’t we all leaving from here, why are we staying and suffering here?” He did remember saying that though. The lady laughed again, touched by this little prince’s heart of gold, who had a far better life than any of them in this country.

“That I can not answer, my prince. But one day… One day, you’ll be able to escape from this place. You’ll get out. You’ll see what’s beneath the snow.”

Years later, Zeke would realize she hadn’t said he was the only one who would have the opportunity to leave his suffering behind.

“This isn’t fair…”

“What isn’t fair, my prince?” Pandoria, always by his side.

“Nothing. I was just… reminiscing.”

Pandoria didn’t answer, but she hummed in understanding. Before them, the Gormotti plains stretched so far ahead, merging with the clouds of the sea in the distance. The wind made the grass sing beneath their feet, a gorgeous symphony to which lively birds and animals joined themselves to, the sky was a vivid blue, the air was a bit warm, the kind that made you shiver when you had been cold for too long. So much life right in front of him, so many things to see and listen to. So many things his people was deprived of.

In Tantal, it was always silent, a few echoes against the walls of Genbu. The snow muffled the sounds, whether it was joy or pain.

It was their first time setting foot on the Gormotti Titan, the beginning of their journey, and each step brought a bitter taste, a reminder of what was forever out of Tantal’s grasp while he could enjoy the sun, warmth, and the luxury of nature. Ever since he had left home, Zeke found it difficult to smile. He missed the company of his people. He had always prefered theirs to his father’s anyway. More often than not, he would run past the guards and pretend for a moment that he could share and relieve their troubles. Thankfully, they indulged him and welcomed the tiny prince with open arms.

“Hey, my prince!” Pandoria’s voice shook him out of his reverie. She was crouching a few feet away, apparently engrossed in something in the grass. Zeke tilted his head as she stood up, cradling something in her hands as if it was the most precious treasure she had ever held.

“Look!” She said as she enthusiastically brought her hands forward, unintentionally almost punching Zeke in the process.

Between her fingers sat a delicate blossom, a shade of purple the likes they had never seen before, strayed with a delicate white. A treasure indeed.

Zeke gently grabbed Pandoria’s hands, the flower vibrating under the slight shaking of their joined hands.

“It’s just like how the books described it.” Pandoria’s smile was bittersweet, keen on her home, delighted of her discovery, mournful of being casted out.

Zeke couldn’t help but smile back, a gentle fondness in his eye.

“No. It’s better.”

One day, Tantal would blossom on its own.

**Author's Note:**

> Also a bit of headcanon about how Zeke's childhood must have been pretty lonely but he loves his people more than anything so you bet he'd sneak outside to stay with them all day.

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [step into the rainbow](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17317805) by [green_piggy](https://archiveofourown.org/users/green_piggy/pseuds/green_piggy)




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